Set Up and Prepare:

Discuss how during Ruby’s childhood, our country had unfair laws. Some people were treated differently because of the way they looked. Students will learn how one little girl helped change that.

Procedure

Work With Context Clues for Key Vocabulary Words

Step 1:Read the issue once. Then turn back to the words segregated and integrated. Say that nearby sentences can often help us figure out a new word.

Step 2: Focus on segregated. Point out that the next sentence says that white and African-American children could not go to school together. If you can’t do something together, how must you do it?(Answer: apart.) Segregated means apart, or separated.

Step 3: Next, read aloud the sentence after integrated. What word in this sentence helps tell the meaning? (Answer: together.)

Take a Close Look at Text Features

Step 1: Point out the headline “Ruby’s Story” on page 2. How does it help readers? (Answer: It tells what the article will be about.) Then show students the smaller subheads, such as “Ruby All Alone.” What do they do? (Answer: They say what that section is about.)

Step 2: Now read the photo captions. What can we learn from captions? (Answer: They tell more about a photo.)

Step 3: Finally, point out the two bold words on page 2. Why do students think these words are bold? (Answer: They are important. They help us understand the article.)

Lesson Extension

Dig deeper into the issue with critical-thinking questions like these:

Was it fair that Ruby was not allowed to go to the school closer to her home?

Was it wrong for people to yell at Ruby and keep their children out of school? Why?